Aircraft leasing magnate Steven Udvar-Hazy will be awarded this year’s Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, for “innovative aerospace business practices, improved aircraft design, piloting skills and selfless philanthropy, ensuring preservation of our aerospace history.” Udvar-Hazy’s multimillion-dollar donation allowed the construction of the National Air and Space Museum’s annex at Dulles Airport.
Former Flight Safety Foundation chairman Amb. Ed Stimpson has been awarded the 2009 FSF-Boeing Aviation Safety Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to aviation safety.
The New Jersey Aviation Association bestowed its first NJAA Excellence in Aviation Award on Eclipse Aviation founder Vern Raburn for his leadership role in the development of the very light jet segment.
The National Transportation Safety Board Bar Association will present its inaugural Joseph T. Nall Award–intended to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to aviation and transportation safety– to retired United Airlines Capt. Alfred Haynes, who was in command on July 19, 1989, when a catastrophic engine failure disabled his DC-10’s flight controls. Haynes and his crew were able to bring the aircraft down, saving the lives of 184 of the 296 passengers and crew on board.